Monk (USA, Friday, 10 ET/PT) goes to Natalie's brother's wedding and runs into Emmy-nominated Two and a Half Men star Holland Taylor. Sight unseen, the comic possibilities inherent in matching Taylor with Tony Shalhoub make this a Monk you don't want to miss.

Which television actors have been playing at the top of their game this season? Who has earned one nomination too many due to sentimentality on the part of Emmy voters? Which newcomers deserve their shot at the big prize? Television critic Robert Bianco susses out the Emmy acting categories.

Which television actors have been playing at the top of their game this season? Who has earned one nomination too many due to sentimentality on the part of Emmy voters? Which newcomers deserve their shot at the big prize? Television critic Robert Bianco susses out the Emmy acting categories.

It was a Golden Globes replay for Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) at Saturday's Screen Actors Guild Awards, where the duo repeated their wins for best film actor and actress. Million Dollar Baby's Morgan Freeman and The Aviator's Cate Blanchett won in the supporting categories.

Looks as if fans can stop obsessing over Sharona. Don't get me wrong: The departure of Monk's Bitty Schram as the obsessive/compulsive detective's impatient assistant, Sharona, is a real loss. But for those who feared it would be a fatal blow and I was one of them the great news is that this highly enjoyable series returns tonight in surprisingly good shape.

Finally, a few new shows found a way to get arrested in this town. Maybe it was the change in rules that allowed voters to list more shows per category. Or, in the case of Joan of Arcadia, maybe it was divine intervention. However it happened, the TV academy members did find a way to at least slightly freshen up its nominee slate.

Monk (USA, tonight, 10 ET/PT) returns with a subpar season opener that finds the detective and his friends in New York. As always, Tony Shalhoub's performance as the obsessive-compulsive Monk is beyond complaint, but the mystery is perfunctory and the supporting characters seem to have left their brains in San Francisco. A series cannot survive on quirks alone particularly when it begins to overplay them. Still, even the best series have off weeks. Those of us who love Monk just have to hope this dreary outing is an aberration and not an indicator of the seasonal direction.